Information Completeness and Visual Form Differentially Modulate Emotional Experience During Mobile Interface Loading

Abstract

Waiting during mobile interface loading is unavoidable and often induces negative emotional responses. Visual feedback design plays a critical role in shaping perceived waiting experience. This study investigates how feedback information format and progress indicator shape influence emotional responses during mobile loading. A two-stage mixed-method design was employed. Study 1 (N = 221) identified preferred design constraints, revealing user preference for centrally positioned feedback and flat visual style. Study 2 (N = 8) implemented a 3 × 3 repeated-measures experiment manipulating information format (text, numeric, text + numeric) and indicator shape (bar, circular, cartoon). Subjective evaluations were combined with EEG time–frequency analysis (ERSP) across theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands. Behavioral results showed that feedback containing numeric progress significantly improved perceived clarity and reduced subjective waiting time. Indicator shape primarily influenced affective experience, with cartoon-style indicators associated with higher enjoyment ratings. EEG analyses revealed significant main effects of interface condition and frequency band, as well as a Condition × FrequencyBand interaction, indicating frequency-specific neural modulation patterns. Interfaces with more complete information elicited relatively stronger modulation in beta and gamma bands. These findings demonstrate that information completeness and visual form differentially regulate cognitive and affective processes during loading, providing neurophysiological evidence for optimizing emotional experience in mobile interface design.

Keywords: Visual Loading Feedback, Information Completeness, Visual Form, Emotional Experience, Human–computer Interaction

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007525